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Dark Souls 2, the sequel to From Software's 2011 action-RPG was announced at the VGAs today.

I was traveling back from Los Angeles after spending some time previewing BioShock Infinite when the announcement was made:Dark Souls 2 is a reality. The much-anticipated sequel is no longer merely the stuff of rumor and speculation. Now it's the stuff of speculation entirely.

I have three words, and three words only: Praise the sun!

Oh, and prepare to die, of course. From Software's Dark Souls sequel will most likely be just as punishing as either of the previous Souls games.

There's not much to go on in the trailer itself, which is no longer on YouTube, but can be seen over at Kotaku. Hopefully an HD version gets released soon. When it does, I'll post it here.

The trailer is pre-rendered footage, so we get mostly a sense of the world. Dragons, fire-spewing mountains, dark forests, strange masked figures. All the good, dark fantasy the series is known for.

"Dark Souls 2 will offer loyal fans exactly the kind of demanding challenges and never-ending struggle that became the hallmark of this whole series," according to publisher Namco Bandai.

“Dark Souls II retains the core essence of Dark Souls while evolving to present new twists and challenges that are sure to please longtime fans and attract new comers to the series," said Carlson Choi, Vice President of Marketing for Namco Bandai. "FromSoftware is going to take a very dark path with Dark Souls II; players will need to look deep within themselves to see if they have the intestinal fortitude to embark on this journey.”

“This new chapter in the Dark Souls saga presents opportunities for us to drive innovation in gameplay design, develop an entirely new story, and expand the scope of the world in which the player interacts with the game," said Tomohiro Shibuya, From's director for the Dark Souls sequel. "We have taken these necessary steps with Dark Souls II in order to evolve the overall experience of the Dark Souls series. The entire development team is striving to make Dark Souls II an experience that is fresh while not forsaking its roots in presenting players with challenging gameplay. Our goal is to surprise and delight our fans with new experiences and plot twists while enticing new players to join our dark journey.”

Judging by the trailer, the series is staying true to its roots. Dragons, the undead, strange female sorcerers...it's all here in spades.

You are of the undead. Forever without hope. Forever without light.

Yeah, that sounds like Dark Souls to me. The questions remain: will this be the same world as the original Dark Souls? Will it be a sequel or a prequel? Another story entirely? It's hard to say with so little to go on, but the undead theme makes me think we're sticking to the same mythology as Dark Souls. The leap between Demon's and Dark made the second game a spiritual successor; I get the feeling this will be an actual narrative sequel/prequel.

Namco Bandai has confirmed that the game will launch on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC though no hard date has been set.